Saturday, 30 March 2013

It was a nightmare time at the Shuttle terminal on Thursday evening, hard on the heels of another nightmare at the Dartford crossing. So by 1am we were ready for our bed, even if the best we could manage was the Premiere Classe at Boulogne.

When we arrived at Le Pre Vert the first thing we did was to light the woodburner and fire up the oil-fired central heating boiler. Shortly after we put on the electric blanket! There hasn’t been any heating in the house since October, so as you can imagine it took an age to get anything approaching even luke-warm. In fact we spent the evening with the sofa moved so close to the woodburner that we could rest our feet on the hearth.

Today has been spent preparing for the arrival of our friends Robert and Erna from Holland. A text a few minutes ago said that they were stuck in a jam somewhere near Paris.

I’d come up with a cunning plan for the preparations. I would go to Loches to stock up on food, make a lasagne and a cake and Tim would do the cleaning. I feel refreshed and Tim is exhausted. Of course I would have swapped roles except Tim can’t make a lasagne…:o)

The good news is that the repairs Tim did to the terrace at the end of last summer seem to have worked - cross your fingers! No sign of any damp patches in the under-terrace apartment, and, after the wet winter in the Touraine it has got to be a good sign...

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

You can find both at the Château du Rivau. It’s a beautiful château and well worth a visit. We plan to take some Dutch friends who are visiting us at Easter. We first met them 22 years ago on a campsite near Chenonceau. We think they will enjoy the informality of Rivau.

Almost everyone at work is convinced that the dreaded OFSTED is going to descend on us this week, or perhaps next. I'm hoping not. Fingers crossed…

Sunday, 10 March 2013

Last summer Colin and Elizabeth invited us to join them at the Marché Médiéval. Chinon is both beautiful and interesting, and the marchéa great, funfilled spectacle. If you are in the area on Saturday 3rd ofAugust I can recommend a visit.

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Life's a bit hectic at the moment with reports, parents’ evenings, data tracking and lesson observations, not to mention the renovations to Rhiannon’s new house. I spent my day off painting and taking delivery of a new kitchen.

Time for blogging is limited, but to be honest I doubt anyone would want to read a blow by blow account of wallpaper stripping, filling and sanding down walls!

About Me

I am originally from the Welsh valleys, but have lived in Staffordshire since 1979, when I first started teaching. I retired a couple of years ago, but finding my new place in the world is a bit of a challenge! I miss the daily contact with young people and still enjoy the days when I am invited back to do some supply teaching.
Once a teacher...
I divide my time between the UK and the small village of Le Petit-Pressigny in the Touraine Sud area of France. Currently we are trying to discover the right balance of time spent in the UK, France or travelling to new places.
One day ....
I am married to Tim, and have two children but I have 'empty nest' syndrome.
As a possible antidote I occasionally blog!